Despite a surge in part-time employment across the nation offsetting full-time declines and pushing down Canada’s unemployment rate, the numbers paint a less-than-rosy picture in Saskatchewan and Prince Albert.

According to Statistics Canada’s monthly labour force survey, employment rose by 54,000 across the nation last month, driving the jobless rate down 0.2 points and back to its four-decade low of 5.8 per cent. Though the numbers appear pleasant on the surface, some economists warn they should be taken with a grain of salt when diving deeper into the details.